South
Brunswick Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring
to Steal $105,000 Intended for Newark
Central High School Project

TRENTON – A South
Brunswick man has pleaded guilty to conspiring
to steal $105,000 in funds that were allocated
by the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation
for payment to a masonry subcontractor working
on the construction of Newark Central High
School, Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced.

According to Director Gramiccioni,
Craig Maltese, 54, of South Brunswick, pleaded
guilty yesterday to an accusation charging
him with third-degree conspiracy to commit
theft before Superior Court Judge Frederick
P. DeVesa in Middlesex County.

In pleading guilty, Maltese
admitted that he conspired with other unnamed
individuals between Aug. 1, 2005 and July
19, 2006 to divert $105,000 in funds of
the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation,
now known as the New Jersey Schools Development
Authority, that had been authorized for
payment to a masonry subcontractor.

The New Jersey Schools Construction
Corporation had authorized payment of $283,765
to the subcontractor solely for the purposes
of preparing the job site, purchasing materials
and paying other start-up costs related
to the masonry work. Maltese admitted that
$105,000 of that NJSCC money was instead
diverted to M.T. Consulting, a construction
consulting company owned by his family.

Under the plea agreement,
the state will recommend that Maltese receive
a sentence of probation. He must pay restitution
of $35,000 to the New Jersey Schools Construction
Corporation. The investigation into the
unauthorized diversion of funds is continuing.

The investigation is being
conducted and coordinated by Sgt. Anthony
D’Aquino, Sgt. Alan Drummond and Deputy
Attorney General Pearl Minato of the Division
of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Deputy
Attorney General Minato took the guilty
plea.